Angels in DC

I found them through a website called the CouchSurfing project. We were going to DC for our Japan visa application and we needed a place to stay for at least 4 days, all 4 of us. They took us in.

She arrived on time to pick us up from the train station in her bright red car. Within 10 mins, we arrived at her home and were greeted by her husband and their 4 beautiful (and a little too excited) dogs.

Everything was prepared for us. Clean linens in the bathroom, freshly-made beds in the guestroom and home office. The big atlas book in their living room was turned to the page where Malaysia is.

The next morning, after a nice American breakfast, she drove us to the Japan Embassy. The application process was not as easy as we thought. All my friends gave up on the spot and changed their travel plans to HK. But I refused to give up without a fight. Not after all the things that I have done.

They let me use their printer and fax machine so that I can get the documents I need to apply again the next day.

The next morning, she cooked rice for us after learning on the internet that the typical Malaysian breakfast involves rice. It was delicious. She took pains not to have fruits or any fruits-related products on the dining room table because I don't eat fruits.

The rest of the week was like a dream.

They brought us to a Malaysian restaurant downtown called Malaysia Kopitiam and insisted that it was their treat. I saw for the first time what an open mic session looked like when they brought us to Busboys & Poets. We went to the Lincoln Memorial at night and I felt like I was inside a Hercules movie. I stood at the exact spot where Mathin Luther King Jr. made his "I Have A Dream" speech and where President Obama addressed all of USA and the world on his inauguration day.

It was truly magical, in every sense of the word.

They supplied us with maps, directions and a Lonely Planet book on Washington so that we can plan our trip. When it rained or when it was too cold at night to walk, all we have to do is make a phone call and they will be there to pick us up. It was the first time that I have ever felt so at home in the US.

Our train back to Hot Springs was on Friday morning. On that fateful day, we had a very wonderful breakfast. Probably because we spent too much time on breakfast, we were soon running late. She sped us to the train station and we arrived 3 minutes before the train was due to leave. After some quick hugs and kisses, we arrived at the gate just in time to see the train leaving the station.

We were devastated. We went to the nearby McDonalds and sit there for almost an hour, trying to figure out what to do. In our scared and confused minds then, the most comforting thing to do was to give them a call. That was what we did. She arrived promptly to pick us up after getting our voicemail. I was so happy and relieved to see her. They made dinner for us that night to comfort us. It was a nice candlelight dinner.

The next train was on Sunday. On that day, he made sure that we were ready to leave the house one hour before the train was due to leave even though their house were just a 5 mins drive from the station. We managed to get on the train this time.

It was not a happy occasion to be back. We knew that our bare "hotel-like" rooms could never conjure up the warm feelings that we felt while we were staying in their house. I even love the fact that my clothes still have dog furs all over them because they reminded me of Jessie, Cassie, Jaselle (is that how it's spelt?) and Mr. Maxi. I missed being woken up in the morning by Cassie or Maxi's big licks on my face. He told us that if we ever come back to Washington, we will always have a "place to stay". They were so so so nice.

I don't know how I could ever thank both of you enough, but I am going to say it anyway. Thank you very very much, Toni and Sam, for making our trip to DC one of the most memorable and wonderful trip of my life! :-)